Quickly some context; Bale has had a stop-start beginning to his Madrid career due to fitness issues, scoring on his debut against Villareal - but has not started the three following games. Bale came on as a substitute in the second half against rival Atletico Madrid, but could not spark them into avoiding a 1-0 defeat.

In a time of mini-crisis at the Bernabeu, which occur all-too regularly, Marca's assistant editor Santiago Segurola has questioned whether Madrid invested their mone wisely.

He writes: "I might be wrong, because Gareth Bale has joined late and has barely had a pre-season, but he seems to be a one-dimensional player, who is not so involved in the dynamic side of the game."

He prefaced this by criticising the sale of Mesut Ozil to Arsenal, stating: "The sale of Ozil is an historic error. Real Madrid has got rid of its second best player. He's a 24-year-old player who brought out the best in everyone around him, especially Cristiano Ronaldo."

It's real knee-jerk reaction comment, but Bale's ineffectual display in the derby was also picked up on by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

Jouralist Jesus Galindo wrote: "The man who cost just € 101 million contributed nothing to the team in its debut in the derby.

"He showed desire, but lacked speed, one of his main features, and did not look comfortable on the right wing, where he had been placed by Carlo Ancelotti. His attacking edge was limited to a left-foot shot from the edge of the area stopped by Courtois.

"Besides that drew applause from the stands when they saw him on the field, otherwise Bale debut at the Bernabeu went virtually unnoticed . The 101 million euros that Florentino Perez invested his signing , were not reflected in his game.

"Although it is too early to make any assessment of Bale, on Saturday, to the disappointment of the fans to see the poor image provided by your computer, some doubt the Welshman and whether the investment is worth it."

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.